Plato Essay

Plato Foundations Essay: Definition (500 points)

Writing Assignment

Definition is a challenging rhetorical mode.  Writing definitions, one might be asked to challenge a widely accepted definition, create a controversial definition, or try to figure out if something fits an existing definition.  Using a minimum of two of the dialogues we have read, write an argument of 3-4 pages that shows Socrates’ view of education.  Use several examples that you locate and analyze (no use of outside notes sources is allowed).

Purpose

Write to argue, since you’re redefining a term readers believe they know.  Convince us that your claims about Socrates’ definition of education are valid.

Audience

The audience knows the dialogues.  Do not retell/summarize them.  Avoid the pitfall of writing an editorial or summarizing blandly.  Do not overuse uninterpreted summaries.

Additional Information

Use no dictionary.com definitions in your introduction, please!  (Quote any used words.)

You can adopt a surprising number of strategies for an argument of definition.  You will argue that your interpretation is the most valid one.  This means you are competing with other definitions that are “out there.”  Some writers try and expand our accepted definition while others attempt to limit a definition’s applications.

Here are some techniques you might use:

  1. Illustration
  2. Comparison and contrast
  3. Negation (saying what something is not)
  4. Analysis
  5. Explanations of a process (how something is measured or works)
  6. Identifications of causes or effects
  7. Simile, metaphor, or analogy
  8. Reference to authority
  9. Reference to the writer’s or others’ personal experience or observation
  10. Etymology (word origins)
  • Avoid the overuse of I or you.
  • Only papers using APA format are accepted.
  • Anticipate problems when you narrow the topic. Sharpen your focus so that you can do a three-page paper on the topic.
  • Pick specific passages where you can discuss both what Socrates does and what he says. There are a lot of moves you can make in proving your views.